Opinion: Is EPCOT’s “HarmonioUS” an eyesore?

In Activities, Disney Parks Special Events, Entertainment, News, Resorts and Travel, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World
March 1, 2021
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“HarmonioUS,” the new nighttime spectacular at EPCOT, was to debut in 2020, but when the coronavirus pandemic shut down Disney Parks Worldwide, everything came to a halt, including construction. As the parks were in the process of reopening work began on a number of projects including “HarmonioUS.”

The new lagoon show, which replaced “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” will debut sometime this year for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary.

As construction continues on “HarmonioUS’s” show pieces, various Disney fan accounts continued to give updates on the progress. It became clear that these show elements were going to be massive. When the new show was announced at the 2019 D23 Expo, Disney said the show will be the “largest nighttime spectacular ever created for a Disney Park.”

Last November, Disney announced that the barges would be positioned out on the lagoon permanently. During the day, they will serve as fountains providing a “visual feature” to guests and then switch to show mode in the evening. However, there will be time during the day when they will be turned off as they are readied for the evening’s performance. At the time, many Disney fans were unsure about this decision. Some thought it was a great idea while others it would be a mistake.

In the last week, various pieces of the show have been moved into the lagoon, including the centerpiece – a six-story ring. It quickly became apparent just how large these barges are. Needless to say, Disney fans took to social media to express their displeasure.

Twitter user @sevsarkissian said, “Yeah that barge is extremely ugly, unfit, and not a harmonious integration at all. WTH are they thinking or “imagining” with that metal rubble that’s a visible eye-sore for 12 hours for not even a one hour show? Not very Epcot.”

“‘Imagineer’ is the biggest misnomer in the Disney lexicon,” tweeted Spectro Radio. “This isn’t good engineering and it’s not imaginative. It’s a brutal assault on the senses and the meticulous architecture that has stood in world showcase for almost 40 years.”